


September 1781

by Unoriginal_Fangirl



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: About to Die, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Assassin's Creed III, Canonical Character Death, Caring Haytham Kenway, Character Death, Everything Hurts, Heavy Angst, Hurt No Comfort, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Sorry, M/M, Not A Fix-It, Sad Ending, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 06:42:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19865191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unoriginal_Fangirl/pseuds/Unoriginal_Fangirl
Summary: They were fighting. As much as this miserable scuffle could be considered fighting, at least. Both Connor and Haytham were injured. Haytham numbly swung his sword around, his reluctance to fight his son clear in every movement. Connor staggered, barely dodging his father's attacks.It was miserable.What if Shay was right there when Connor and Haytham fought?





	September 1781

**Author's Note:**

> Can i ever write something not angsty and in character for them?? No why would you even ask
> 
> This was made with a list of sad songs from 2000-2013, including hits like My Immortal - Evanescence, Safe & Sound - Taylor Swift and my tears

* * *

"Where is the Grand Master?" Shay turned to Charles. "Why aren't you in Fort George?"

Lee didn't turn to look at him. His eyes were focused on the horizon, refusing to look anywhere else. "The Assassin boy wants me dead. He's on his way to Fort George now."

"And you just left Haytham there? All alone? Against his own _son?"_

"What choice do I have, Shay? I'm not you. I can't disobey and get away with it, now, can I?"

Shay turned around to leave the beach they were on. "I'm sure he'll forgive disobedience to save his life."

"I'm not the one he's truly willing to die to protect."

Shay paused. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean, is that he told me to ensure the Assassin wouldn't find _you_ alone. I know."

Shay looked at Charles over his shoulder. "And yet you said nothing."

"I have nothing to gain from telling anyone. I do not hate you. Perhaps we can discuss the matter another time, when none of us are in danger."

Shay gave a quick nod before he ran off to find a horse to take him to Fort George.

He climbed onto the walls and made his way to the rooftops at the innermost circle of the Fort. Shay quickly grabbed his gun before jumping off into a hay cart.

They were fighting. As much as this miserable scuffle could be considered fighting, at least. Both Connor and Haytham were injured. Haytham numbly swung his sword around, his reluctance to fight his son clear in every movement. Connor staggered, barely dodging his father's attacks.

It was miserable.

Shay climbed out and approached Haytham and Connor. "Stop," he said. "Enough. Both of you." He made his way over to stand between the two.

"Stay out of this, Shay," Haytham told him. He sounded tired. So very done. "This isn't your fight."

Shay bit back a bitter laugh. "You made it my fight when you decided to trust me, Haytham."

"He's right. This is between me and my father," the boy said.

Shay turned his head to Connor. "This is what has become of the Assassins? One boy, trained by a cripple, carrying the legacy of many powerful Masters with nothing to show for it. What did he tell you? Did he tell you about honor, about the Creed? Did he tell you there is no other way?"

"Achilles is dead."

He hadn't expected the definitive tone in Connor's voice. He'd expected at least a sliver of emotion, but the young man barely let his voice tremble.

"The least I can do is fulfill his dying wish."

"Achilles was an old fool who believed that, as long as it was done in the name of the Assassins, he couldn't do anything wrong."

"Achilles taught me everything I know."

Shay scoffed. "He taught me as well."

"Then why?"

"He told me to destroy innocent lives. He meddled in something he should have left alone."

Connor slumped against one of the tables.

"Who told you where I was, Shay?" Haytham asked.

Shay approached the Grand Master. "Charles told me. I would have found you even if he hadn't."

"He knows."

"Yes."

"You're still standing."

"It confused me as well."

Haytham grabbed Shay's arm and chuckled softly. "I suppose he hasn't completely lost the sympathy he used to have."

Shay grinned. "We can take Connor with us. Rebuild the colonial rite. What we've fought for hasn't been lost, sir."

"You're a traitor to the Brotherhood," Connor said.

Shay didn't feel it at first. He could feel pressure on his back for a second, like Connor had punched him. That was probably why Haytham's horrified (if a slight change in expression could be called horrified) expression confused him. As did the dizziness that set in too quickly. He staggered right into Haytham's arms. One of his lover's hands travelled down to where Connor had punched him before tightening his grip on Shay's coat above it.

Shay reached out with his own hand and saw the blood coating his fingers when he looked at it. He turned his gaze to Haytham. "No…" he breathed out.

He'd been willing to die for the Order. Willing to die for Haytham. He'd never expected it to happen here. Gist expected his return. His crew needed him.

Haytham knelt down and Shay simply didn't have the power to stay upright. "It'll be alright, Shay." He sounded so impossibly gentle. Scared. Everything he had never expected to hear in Haytham's voice.

"Haytham…" He reached out to the Grand Master's face with his clean hand.

Haytham curled his own fingers around his hand and gently lowered it again. "It's alright."

It wasn't. "Don’t lie to me now, Haytham.”

"Do you want me to tell you that everything we have achieved is for nothing? Do you want me to tell you we failed?"

Shay huffed. "You don't have to tell me anything. I know."

"I was supposed to be the only one to die here today," Haytham said, laughing humorlessly.

Shay squeezed his hand. "I didn't want to lose you."

"And you think I'm happy to watch you die."

"Of course not, Love. Just… Just let me be selfish this one time?"

"Why must you disobey my every order, Shay?"

"It's why you love me."

Haytham bowed his head. "I suppose."

"I love you too, you know."

Haytham lifted Shay's hand to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to his palm. "I know."

"Good." Shay could feel the life draining from his body. "I'll wait for you."

Haytham swallowed tightly. "Don't."

"I'll be damned if this is the end, Haytham."

Haytham felt Shay's entire body go limp. "Shay," he whispered, as close to tears as he had been since he was a child hiding behind his father. He lowered Shay's rapidly cooling body to the ground and closed his eyelids simply so he wouldn't have to look at his dead eyes again.

After another deep breath, Haytham got back to his feet to face his son. Connor had been suspiciously quiet ever since he had stabbed Shay, like he had the decency to give them just that little bit of time before Shay… "I suppose you're quite proud of yourself now. You did it. You brought the Grand Master of the colonial rite to his knees without ever pulling a weapon," he said with a bitter laugh.

"I didn't know," Connor said.

Haytham spread his arms. "You weren't supposed to know."

"It's not like your actions have done a lot to convince me you have a heart."

"What can I say, finding out the man who raised you killed your parents and sold your half-sister into slavery does that to someone."

"I have to kill you."

"Then do it." Haytham kicked his sword away and took off his Hidden Blade to throw it aside as well. "I won't stop you."

"Why?"

"I have to kill you if you don't kill me first. I'm not sure I can live with that, with this." He gestured to the body next to him.

Connor stood there, frozen.

"Do it, Connor. You had no problem with it earlier."

"You were trying to kill me."

Haytham shook his head. "Of course." He dashed over to Connor and knocked the young Assassin to the ground, wrapping his hands around his son's throat and applying enough pressure to Connor's windpipe to make him choke. "Do it!" he spat. "You're a _goddamn coward,_ Connor! Kill me!"

Connor gritted his teeth and wrenched his arm free. After one more moment of doubt, he stabbed his Hidden Blade into Haytham's neck.

Haytham rolled off of him. "Thank you."

Connor got back up to his feet and looked down on his father.

"Do me a favor, Connor. Take my Hidden Blade with you."

"Where's Charles Lee, _Father?"_

Haytham let his gaze wander to the sky, and then to Shay's body not too far from him. "Far from here, I suspect."

Connor said something in his native language before he grabbed the blade and walked away.

And then Haytham lost consciousness.

**Author's Note:**

> Just imagine theyre being gay in the afterlife itll hurt less yeehaw
> 
> I had another version of this where they all lived but i started that two weeks ago and i wrote this in like 2 hours help


End file.
